Coronavirus could cause brain damage in some patients by triggering inflammation that can lead to bleeds and the killing of cells, doctors have warned. The virus appears to have resulted in neurological complications in some of those infected – including one Florida man in his 70s who temporarily lost the ability to speak. While other scans suggest a woman in her 50s from Detroit has lost big chunks of brain cells, and similar central nervous problems have been reported in Italy and China.
Henry Ford Health System neurologist Dr. Elissa Fory said incorporating patients with severe neurological disease needs to be added into “our treatment paradigm, “reports the Daily Mail. The doctor, involved in diagnosing the Detroit woman, added the complication seen in that patient was as “devastating” as severe lung disease. A CT scan of her brain was carried out which showed dark spots, indicating a fluid build-up or substantial brain cell loss.
The patient’s thalamus – crucial in sending sensory signals for processing – showed particular damage, while other scans showed brain lesions or bleeds in temporal lobes. Dr. Fory said the extensive testing proved their suspicions that the woman, an airline worker, had encephalitis – a potentially deadly brain swelling condition. The Florida patient, aged 74, had suffered seizures which affected his ability to speak – a sign of brain swelling, leading his doctors to believe he also had the condition. –Mirror
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